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Neuropharmacology. 2009 January ; 56(1): 2–5. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.06.063.

A nomenclature for ligand-gated ion channels

Graham L. Collingridgea,*, Richard W. Olsenb, John Petersc, and Michael Speddingd

a MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, Department of Anatomy, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD,

UK
bDepartment of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Geffen School of Medicine, University of
California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
cNeurosciences Institute, Division of Pathology and Neuroscience, Ninewells Hospital and Medical
School, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
d Institute of Research Servier, 11 Rue des Moulineaux, 92150 Suresnes, France

Abstract
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The ligand-gated ion channels that participate in fast synaptic transmission comprise the nicotinic
acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3), γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA), glycine, ionotropic
glutamate and P2X receptor families. A consistent and systematic nomenclature for the individual
subunits that comprise these receptors and the receptors that result from their co-assembly is highly
desirable. There is also a need to develop criteria that aid in deciding which of the vast number of
heteromeric combinations of subunits that can be assembled in heterologous expression systems in
vitro, are known, or likely, to exist as functional receptors in vivo. The aim of this short article is to
summarize the progress being made by the nomenclature committee of IUPHAR (NC-IUPHAR) in
formulating recommendations that attempt to address these issues.

Keywords
Ligand-gated ion channels; Nomenclature

1. Introduction
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The heteromeric nature of most ligand-gated ion channels (Fig. 1), with their accessory
proteins, and the multiple proteins involved in receptor trafficking and responses to receptor
activation pose multiple challenges to the definition of their pharmacology. Furthermore, the
receptors must be well characterized for definition of their functional roles in normal brain and
in disease states and for new drug discovery. To this end the journal Neuropharmacology and
The International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) have joined forces in
this Special Issue to address the nomenclature, the structures, the pharmacology, the roles, and
therapeutic opportunities of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) that are activated by
neurotransmitters (Fig. 1).

2. NC-IUPHAR
The International Union of Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug
Classification (NC-IUPHAR) is a body that issues guidelines for receptor and ion channel
classification. It addresses the main issues in pharmacology today, classifying the major

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 117 928 7420. g.l.collingridge@bristol.ac.uk (G.L. Collingridge).
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receptor and ion channel systems in the human genome and depositing the data on a freely
available web site (http://www.iuphar-db.org). NC-IUPHAR has >50 subcommittees with
expert scientists freely giving up their time in order to facilitate the interface between the
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discovery of new sequences from the Human Genome Project and the designation of the derived
proteins as functional receptors and ion channels.

Furthermore, the multitude of factors between a published genomic sequence and an assigned
receptor function in a given tissue (epigenetics, alternative splicing, messenger RNA editing,
polymorphisms, the combinatorial nature of subunit association) ensures that there are multiple
drug targets. The practical implications of the new pharmacology are immense, particularly
for drug discovery where the magnitude of the variables affecting drug response is only now
becoming fully appreciated. NC-IUPHAR needs input from motivated scientists interested in
receptors, so if you are interested please contact us! NC-IUPHAR works in coordination with
the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC).

The goals of NC-IUPHAR include: (i) establishing, as far as possible, an overall consistent
classification and nomenclature for the LGICs; and (ii) developing a subunit list (with template
information for a database). Table 1 presents such a list of the genes encoding LGIC subunits
that are expressed in humans. Thus, certain subunits, such as the nicotinic acetylcholine
receptor α8 subunit (Schoepfer et al., 1990) that has not been identified in the mammalian
brain, and the glycine receptor α4 subunit (Matzenbach et al., 1994), which is likely to be a
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pseudogene in man, are not listed. Similarly, the avian GABAA receptor β4 and γ4 subunits,
which may have evolved into the mammalian GABAA receptor θ and ε subunits, respectively,
are not tabulated (Simon et al., 2004). At this point in time we also do not consider intracellular
ion channels such as the inositol trisphosphate (IP3) or ryanodine receptors that are gated by
ligands. Other classes of cell surface ion channel that are activated, or modulated, by ligands,
such as the cyclic nucleotide regulated ion channels and numerous members of the transient
receptor potential family have been the subject of previous NC-IUPHAR recommendations
(Clapham et al., 2005;Hofmann et al., 2005).

In recommending a consistent nomenclature for LGIC subunits, it is appropriate to reflect upon

the acceptance, or otherwise, of previous NC-IUPHAR recommendations and current practice
in the literature. Lukas et al. (1999) in an interim NC-IUPHAR statement on the nomenclature
of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits stated that ‘the 16 nACh receptor subunits
identified to date are defined using a Greek letter sometimes followed by an Arabic numeral
(neither subscripted nor superscripted)’. A survey of the literature indicates this formalism to
be widely employed. By contrast, in an extensive and still valuable review of the classification
of GABAA receptors, Barnard et al. (1998) indicated that Greek subunit letters should be
followed by a subscripted Arabic numeral, where appropriate. However, a representative
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search of the literature subsequent to that publication indicates no consistent usage of subscripts
even, in some instances, between contributions emanating from the same laboratory. A similar
situation is apparent for the strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors, upon which NC-IUPHAR
have yet to issue guidance. By contrast, subscripted numbers and letters are almost universally
used to denote the 5-HT3 and P2X receptor subunits (e.g. 5-HT3A; P2X3) in accordance with
previous NC-IUPHAR guidelines (Hoyer et al., 1994; Khakh et al., 2001).

A revised nomenclature of the ionotropic glutamate receptors subunits triggered NC-IUPHAR

to reconsider the naming of LGIC subunits in general, but in particular with regard to the use
of subscripts. Each of the LGIC subcommittees were consulted in an attempt to reach an overall
consensus. Various reasons were elaborated for the continued use (largely historical), or not
(consistency across receptor families, reserving subscript to specify receptor stoichiometry,
difficulties in database searches, formatting issues) of subscript notation. After considerable

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deliberation the NC-IUPHAR Committee sets out the following which is a recommendation
for implementation:
1. The use of subscript may be retained specifically for the receptor names GABAA and
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5-HT3. For historical reasons this would be difficult, if not impossible, to change.
2. Subunits within a receptor should not be denoted by subscripts.
3. Stoichiometry, where known, should be indicated by placing the subunit in
parenthesis and indicating the number of subunits by use of a subscripted number
following the close of the parenthesis (where the number of subunits is greater than
one). This is already a formal recommendation of the NC-IUPHAR nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor subcommittee (Lukas et al., 1999). However, stoichiometry
should not be indicated unnecessarily.
4. Subunits should be listed in alphabetical, or numerical, sequence without punctuation
between subunits. An exception arises in the case of subunits types denoted by a
numeral (e.g. P2X2; P2X3), where a solidus should be placed between the subunits
as previously recommended when describing receptors of unspecified stoichiometry
(Khakh et al., 2001).
Examples of the recommended nomenclature are given in Tables 1 and 2.
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3. Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs)

The ionotropic glutamate receptors posed a special case to its subcommittee,1 due to historical
circumstances (see Lodge, submitted for publication). The receptors had been classified by
pharmacologists and named after the synthetic agonists AMPA, kainate and NMDA and by
the end of the 1980's this terminology was firmly established (Watkins and Jane, 2006). The
cloning of the subunits confirmed this pharmacological classification but, of course, added a
wealth of complexity by virtue of the identification of the many constituent proteins. Various
nomenclatures were introduced by the laboratories that cloned the subunits, so, for example,
the same AMPA receptor subunit was called either GluR1 (Boulter et al., 1990), or GluR-A
(Keinanen et al., 1990), and the same NMDA receptor subunit NMDAR1 (Moriyoshi et al.,
1991), or ζ1 (Meguro et al., 1992). Table 3 presents the currently recommended subunit
nomenclature together with a list of former appellations that should be avoided in the future.
The kainate receptor subunits had a more consistent, but illogical, nomenclature starting at
GluR5. The challenge was two-fold: to obtain a nomenclature that was logical for the ionotropic
GluRs and one that was as consistent as possible with the general principles of the nomenclature
for the LGIC superfamilies.

The committee took no time to reach the consensus that the AMPARs subunits should be
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renamed GluA1, GluA2, GluA3 and GluA4. An interim recommendation (Lodge and
Dingledine, 2000) had concluded that these subunits be named GLUA1, GLUA2, GLUA3 and
GLUA4 (Table 3). The decision to omit “R” conformed to the NC-IUPHAR general
recommendation that it is preferable not to label a subunit as a receptor, given that many of
these subunits do not form functional receptors when expressed alone. The new nomenclature
adopted the same general principle but made two changes. First, it was agreed to adopt Glu,
the three letter amino acid code for glutamate, rather than GLU, to identify the neurotransmitter.
Secondly it was agreed to drop the use of subscripts (for the reasons set out above). This new
nomenclature has two important attributes: first, it harmoniously combines the two commonly
used nomenclatures (e.g. GluR1 and GluRA become GluA1). Second the protein name can be

1NC-IUPHAR subcommittee membership: Bernhard Bettler, Graham Collingridge (Chair), Ray Dingledine, Stephen F. Heinemann,
Michael Hollmann, Juan Lerma, David Lodge, Mark Mayer, Masayoshi Mishina, Christophe Mulle, Shigetada Nakanishi, Richard Olsen,
John A. Peters, Peter Seeburg, Michael Spedding, Jeffrey C. Watkins, Robert J. Wenthold.

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instantly derived from the gene name by the conversion to two letters: “RI” becoming “lu”:
Thus GRIA1 translates to GluA1, GRIA2 translates to GluA2, etc. (Table 1). There was a
discussion whether, indeed, the two names should be identical but the general consensus was
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that this could be confusing.

The NMDA receptor was similarly non-contentious and adopted the same pattern: NR1
becoming GluN1, NR2A becoming GluN2A and so forth (Table 3). Once again, the protein
name mirrors the gene name, with just the two letter code difference (i.e., GRIN1 translates to
GluN1, GRIN2A translates to GluN2A).

The problem with the kainate receptors is that the first subunit cloned was named GluR5
(Bettler et al., 1990) and this name has been widely adopted in the field (Table 3). Clearly,
however, there are no functional reasons for considering the kainate receptor subunits as a
continuum of the AMPAR subunits. Despite some structural and pharmacological similarities
there is no evidence that the two receptor families co-assemble. Several solutions were put
forward by the subcommittee, each with its own merits. After considerable deliberation,
however, it was decided to take the radical step to rename the subunits as follows: GluK1,
GluK2, GluK3, GluK4 and GluK5 to replace the names GluR5, GluR6, GluR7, KA-1 and
KA-2, respectively (Table 3). This again has the virtue that the protein names mirror the gene
names, which are GRIK1, GRIK2, GRIK3, GRIK4, GRIK5, respectively (Table 1). Of course,
the committee realizes that there will be a period of adjustment whilst the users equate GluK1
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with GluR5, etc., but our brains are highly plastic and so such adjustment should not pose a
great difficulty. Indeed, the precedent has already been set by the voltage-gated ion channel
community who readily embraced a new more logical nomenclature for K+ and Ca2+ channels
(Catterall et al., 2005; Goldstein et al., 2005; Gutman et al., 2005; Kubo et al., 2005; Wei et
al., 2005).

There are, of course, challenges ahead. In particular is the need that the community embraces
the new nomenclature. Whether the subcommittee has reached the correct recommendation
remains to be seen, but what is clear is that a consistent and logical nomenclature that is widely
adopted is urgently required. There is also the need to establish a consistent nomenclature for
the alternative splice variants and for the edited states of the subunits.

4. Criteria for identifying native receptors

We have suggested criteria for selecting receptor subtype heteromer candidates for inclusion
on a native receptor list that is currently under development by the LGIC subcommittees of
NC-IUPHAR. These criteria include two categories for recombinant receptors: showing that
a given combination of subunits is expressed as a pentamer (Cys-loop family), tetramer
(ionotropic glutamate receptors), or trimer (P2X receptors) (see Fig. 1) and that it has unique
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biophysical and/or pharmacological properties. There are three criteria for native receptors: (i)
evidence for co-localization of subunits; (ii) physical evidence for subunit–subunit type
interactions; and (iii) demonstration of specific function. The mechanism for selection involves
a subcommittee of NC-IUPHAR who evaluate the quality of the evidence that receptor subtype
candidates meet the criteria for inclusion on the receptor list. Our tentative selections utilize
the new principle of three categories of receptors (Olsen and Sieghart, in press):
• identified;
• existence with high probability;
• tentative.

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The same review includes a working receptor list for GABAA receptors, with 26 total entries.
We continue the use of a wild card nomenclature (see, for example, Lukas et al., 1999), when
a subunit is not clearly identified.
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5. Concluding remarks
Now that we know that there are virtually no more LGICs to be discovered in the human
genome, we hope that the proposed nomenclature will be used for all mammalian species for
a very long time.

Acknowledgments
We thank the Chairs and members of all the LGIC subcommittees of NC-IUPHAR for their work in developing a
receptor nomenclature and database.

References
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Fig. 1.
Schematic representation of the three structural categories of ligand-gated ion channel subunit.
The pentameric Cys-loop receptor superfamily comprises the nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh)
receptors, 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) and a zinc-activated channel that form cation
selective ion channels and the γ-aminobutyric acidA and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors
that conduct anions. The tetrameric ionotropic glutamate receptors are subdivided into N-
methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid
(AMPA) and kainate receptor subfamilies. The highly schematic topography of each receptor
category indicates the locations of the extracellular and intracellular termini, the number of
transmembrane spans (large colored cylinders), and cysteine residues participating in
disulphide bond formation (yellow circles). Red cylinders indicate α-helical regions
participating in ion conduction/selectivity.

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Table 1
NC-IUPHAR list of ligand-gated ion channel subunits
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Receptor family NC-IUPHAR subunit nomenclature Human gene name Human chromosomal location

A. Cys-loop superfamily
5-HT3 5-HT3A HTR3A 11q23.1

5-HT3B HTR3B 11q23.1

5-HT3C HTR3C 3q27.1
5-HT3D HTR3D 3q27.1
5-HT3E HTR3E 3q27.1
Nicotinic ACh α1 CHRNA1 2q24–q32
α2 CHRNA2 8p21
α3 CHRNA3 15q24
α4 CHRNA4 20q13.2–q13.3
α5 CHRNA5 15q24
α6 CHRNA6 8p11.21
α7 CHRNA7 15q14
α9 CHRNA9 4p14
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α10 CHRNA10 11p15.5

β1 CHRNB1 17p13.1
β2 CHRNB2 1q21.3
β3 CHRNB3 8p11.2
β4 CHRNB4 15q24
γ CHRNG 2q33–q34
δ CHRND 2q33–q34
ε CHRNE 17p13–p12
GABAA α1 GABRA1 5q34–q35

α2 GABRA2 4p12
α3 GABRA3 Xq28
α4 GABRA4 4p12
α5 GABRA5 15q11.2–q12
α6 GABRA6 5q34
β1 GABRB1 4p12
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β2 GABRB2 5q34
β3 GABRB3 15q11.2–q12
γ1 GABRG1 4p12
γ2 GABRG2 5q31.1–q33.1
γ3 GABRG3 15q12
δ GABRD 1p36.3
ε GABRE Xq28
θ GABRQ Xq28
π GABRP 5q33–q34
ρ1 GABRR1 6q13–q16.3
ρ2 GABRR2 6q13–q16.3

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Receptor family NC-IUPHAR subunit nomenclature Human gene name Human chromosomal location

ρ3 GABRR3 3q11.2
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Glycine α1 GLRA1 5q32

α2 GLRA2 Xp22.1–p21.3
α3 GLRA3 4q33–q34
β GLRB 4q31.3
Zinc-activated ZAC ZACN 17q25.3
B. P2X family
P2X P2X1 P2RX1 17p13.3
P2X2 P2RX2 12q24.33
P2X3 P2RX3 11q12
P2X4 P2RX4 12q24.32
P2X5 P2RX5 17p13.3
P2X6 P2RX6 22q11.21
P2X7 P2RX7 12q24
C. Ionotropic glutamate family
AMPA GluA1 GRIA1 5q31.1
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GluA2 GRIA2 4q32–q33

GluA3 GRIA3 Xq25–q26
GluA4 GRIA4 11q22
Kainate GluK1 GRIK1 21q22.11
GluK2 GRIK2 6q16.3–q21
GluK3 GRIK3 1p34–p33
GluK4 GRIK4 11q22.3
GluK5 GRIK5 19q13.2
NMDA GluN1 GRIN1 9q34.3
GluN2A GRIN2A 16p13.2
GluN2B GRIN2B 12p12
GluN2C GRIN2C 17q25
GluN2D GRIN2D 19q13.1
GluN3A GRIN3A 9q31.1
GluN3B GRIN3B 19p13.3
‘Orphan’ (GluD) GluD1 GRID1 10q22
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GluD2 GRID2 4q22

Note, the entries in this table do not attempt to address the multiple subunits that frequently arise from a single gene as a consequence of alternative
splicing and editing of RNA transcripts.

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Table 2
NC-IUPHAR recommendations on receptor nomenclature
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Receptor with unspecified stoichiometry Receptor with specified stoichiometry

Nicotinic AChα4β2 Nicotinic ACh(α4)2(β2)3

5-HT3AB 5-HT3(A)2(B)3

GABAAα1β2γ2 GABAA(α1)2(β2)2γ2

Glyα1β Gly(α1)2(β)3

GluA1A2 Glu(A1)2(A2)2

P2X2/3 P2X(2)23

Stoichiometry should not be indicated unnecessarily.

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Table 3
NC-IUPHAR recommended and previous nomenclature of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits
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NC-IUPHAR subunit nomenclature Previous nomenclatures

GluA1 GLUA1, GluR1, GluRA, GluR-A, GluR-K1, HBGR1

GluA2 GLUA2, GluR2, GluRB, GluR-B, GluR-K2, HBGR2

GluA3 GLUA3, GluR3, GluRC, GluR-C, GluR-K3

GluA4 GLUA4, GluR4, GluRD, GluR-D

GluK1 GLUK5, GluR5, GluR-5, EAA3

GluK2 GLUK6, GluR6, GluR-6, EAA4

GluK3 GLUK7, GluR7, GluR-7, EAA5

GluK4 GLUK1, KA1, KA-1, EAA1

GluK5 GLUK2, KA2, KA-2, EAA2

GluN1 GLUN1, NMDA-R1, NR1, GluRξ1

GluN2A GLUN2A, NMDA-R2A, NR2A, GluRε1

GluN2B GLUN2B, NMDA-R2B, NR2B, hNR3, GluRε2

GluN2C GLUN2C, NMDA-R2C, NR2C, GluRε3

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GluN2D GLUN2D, NMDA-R2D, NR2D, GluRε4

GluN3A GLUN3A, NMDA-R3A, NMDAR-L, chi-1

GluN3B GLUN3B, NMDA-R3B

GluD1 GluRδ1
GluD2 GluRδ2

Greek symbols in NMDA receptor subunit names were applied to the mouse orthologue only.
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